There are significant changes to all of our representation arrangements. Changes include:

• Reducing councillors from the current 14 to 9, elected from eight wards.
• Most ward boundaries have changed.

There are also a couple of new names to represent the areas of interest, including:

• Milton Ward
• Bruce-Waihola Ward
• Clinton – Clydevale Ward

The opportunity for reviewing the representation arrangements is at least once every six years. Community feedback, non-compliance (not meeting the fair representation rule) of current wards, and the direction proposed by elected members provided the basis for the different options that were explored.

The new proposed option addresses these areas to ensure we are meeting the legal requirements set out in the Local Electoral Act 2001.

Other options explored by councillors included a combination of district-wide ‘at-large’ and ward scenarios, and ward-only scenarios.

Community boards typically represent a smaller geographic area or ‘community of interest’ within their council, to ensure smaller communities’ voices aren’t lost in the big picture conversations.

Most members are elected during local body elections although council members can also be appointed to a community board. Note: this would entail an extra cost as currently each ward’s ratepayers pay for their own community board.

No, the pool of remuneration (cost) stays the same regardless of the number of councillors. The Remuneration Authority sets this budget for the district.

Council resolved to use the First Past the Post electoral system for the 2025 elections on 3 August 2023.

Council gave consideration to establishing a separate Māori ward, however, in consultation it was resolved not to establish one on 26 October 2023.

Fair representation means each councillor represents about the same number of people (within +/- 10 percent of the district’s population divided by the total number of councillors). This ensures an equal representation across the district.

Effective representation relates to the councillors’ ability to represent their constituency and ensure matters important to their electorate are heard.

Wards are ways of splitting up a council area into smaller areas for election purposes. They serve the same function as electorates for national elections.

In the Clutha District there are eight wards.

An election that is ‘at-large’ means that members are elected from the whole district and not on a ward basis. The mayor is elected ‘at-large’.

When looking at boundaries for local representation, we are required to consider communities of interest. These consider:

• A sense of belonging to an area.
• An ability to meet the community requirements for services.
• An ability politically to represent the interests of the community.